


Room for Two

by Xyzcl



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 8/13 - Freeform, AkuRoku Day, M/M, Past Abuse, Sharing a Room, Stoner Axel, a day late and a dollar short, loner Roxas, surprise bedsharing, there will be an attempt to update regularly, this wasn't supposed to be a multichap but here we are, unbetad we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2020-09-01 01:10:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20249677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyzcl/pseuds/Xyzcl
Summary: Roxas agrees to go on a trip during spring break with a group of his classmates. After a long trip and too many hours spent traveling, the hotel they're staying at informs the teacher in charge that one of the rooms, Roxas' room, was changed last minute. Now having to share a bed with a classmate he's never met before, Roxas isn't sure if he's having a bad time or about to have a good time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. No time to think, I wanna sleep, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.
> 
> All jokes aside, I was planning on posting this yesterday but I was also planning for it to be a oneshot. Sometimes plans change though so here we are.

Roxas set his bag down in the hotel lobby before stretching his arms over his head. He was on a trip with his classmates in Seattle and after a long day, two bus rides, and a flight, he was ready to get some rest. He walked over to his group lead in a half asleep daze and waited patiently for his room assignment, watching as others in the group were paired off with their friends or acquaintances they knew decently well. He let out a quiet sigh, when he heard his friends Hayner and Pence get grouped together, knowing that Olette would inevitably end up doomed with another girl from the class. Settling himself on the fact he'd be grouped with a stranger, he told his friends goodnight as they left for their rooms, patiently waiting for his room assignment. He watched as his classmates filtered off to their rooms, the exhaustion on their faces plain as day as they wandered over to the elevators until finally there were only two people left, him and someone he didn't recognize. The other person was a good foot taller than him, maybe more than that, with unruly bright cherry red hair that he had pulled back into a messy bun to keep it out of the way, the hours spent traveling from San Diego having caused whatever styling products he probably used to fail their mission as they raised the white flag, surrendering the thick locks to the gravity they fought so hard against. His eyes were a shade of green he could only describe as silver tree, the color only seeming familiar after the hours he had been forced to stare at odd and unusual shades of colors as he memorized hex codes he would only need to know for one test before it inevitably bled out his ears as new information was crammed into his mind for the next one. He was wearing loose yet still form fitting black jeans and a short sleeve shirt with the text "no skinny dipping alone" on it, the sight almost getting an amused snort out of Roxas in his half asleep daze. His shoes though were what really caught the blond's eye. He wasn't sure what had possessed his classmate to do so, but even with his unusual height he was wearing black boots with an obvious heel that made him at least two inches taller. Why he would want to be any taller than he already was, Roxas had no idea. 

"Roxas, Axel, you two will be in room 138." their teacher explained as she handed each of them a key card. "The hotel had a conflict so instead of two double beds you ended up with a single king, sorry about that." 

"Wait, what?" Roxas asked louder than he intended to, surprised by the sudden apology from his teacher. "We're sharing a bed?"

"What, you scared? I don't bite." the redhead, Axel, teased as he picked up his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. 

Blue eyes rolled as the shorter student replied, raising the handle of his rolling bag. "I'm more worried about your gangly arms smacking me in my sleep." 

"Behave you two, it's only for a few days." the teacher called out to them as she watched the two of them make their way to the elevator. 

Glancing over at the map, Roxas found the listing and relaxed when he saw that 138 was only on the third floor. If he had to go any higher up with his dye enthusiast roommate, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep from passing out in the elevator. He noticed the other man looking him over once the doors closed and they began their ascension, suddenly feeling like he was the most underwhelming person on the face of the planet. While his classmate had obviously put some effort into what he was wearing, Roxas had just put on the first things he grabbed before leaving his house, ending up in a pair of faded blue jeans with rips from falling off his skateboard more times than he could count and a 3/4 sleeve parental advisory shirt, his well worn red high tops and the familiar comfort of his checkered wristband the only two items of his current outfit that he'd really put any thought into. His usually gravity defying blond hair had given up its usual gusto to droop slightly, making it look less like he'd styled it and more like he had a bad case of bedhead. Usually, he didn't mind strangers glancing him over but for some reason, the taller man's gaze caught him off guard in ways he hadn't been expecting. He must've just been really tired. 

"Quit staring." Roxas mumbled as the elevator slowed down to signal they were at the third floor, the few short seconds having seemed like an eternity. 

"Can't help it," Axel replied with a slight tease in his voice. "I wasn't expecting such a cute roommate." 

Roxas could almost hear his brain misfire at that comment as he tried to sputter out a response. Instead, he grabbed the handle of his bag again and hurried down the hall in search of room 138, his classmate not far behind. Finding the room half way down the hall, he quickly tapped his key card against the locking mechanism and pulled the door open. It was going to be a long few days. 

"Do you wanna take a shower first?" Axel asked as he stepped in behind the smaller man, tossing his bag in one of the chairs before collapsing in the one next to it. "I don't think I'll be getting up for a little while."

Roxas nodded as he pushed the handle down on his bag, picking it up and setting it on the bed to dig around for his pajamas and a clean pair of boxers before zipping his bag back up, setting it next to the bed on the floor, and tiredly walking to the en suite bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he quietly stripped down and kicked his dirty clothes aside before fiddling with the shower knobs. Once it was at an acceptable temperature, he grabbed the sample shower supplies and climbed into the spacious stall, urging his tired brain to function long enough for him to wash the smell of the stagnant air of the trip north off his skin. He wouldn't be able to sleep comfortably if he climbed into the soft bed feeling like he was covered in the scent of an unknown number of college students' feet. Roxas stepped under the stream of warm water with a content sigh and leaned against the wall for support to keep from falling over from sheer exhaustion. He was running on sheer spite and coffee, and the coffee was starting to run out. Sticking his head under the water to wake up a little, Roxas quickly got to work washing the smell of the stagnant plane and bus air off his body. He ripped his fingers through his messy blond hair, washing out the gel and grease before rinsing his hair out and quickly scrubbing his body down with the cheap hotel soap bar. Once he was sufficiently clean, he shut the water off and grabbed one of the towels hanging next to the shower stall, messily drying his hair off as he stepped out onto the floor mat. He dried himself off as well as he could before pulling on his clothes quickly, wanting to get to bed as soon as possible. In his half asleep daze, he bumped into his classmate on his way out of the bathroom. 

"Well hello there sleepy head, no need to rush." the redhead teased as he gently helped Roxas take a step back. 

"Sorry....." Roxas mumbled, taking a step to the side so he wouldn't bump into the other man again. 

"Its alright Rox, get some sleep." Axel smiled and gently patted the smaller man's head before stepping into the bathroom, getting a quiet grunt from the other in response to his comment. 

Roxas flopped down on one side of the bed, his towel still on his head as he half heartedly continued rubbing it dry. If he fell asleep with his hair still wet, he would wake up with a rat's nest in his hair and the last thing he wanted was for a stranger to see him wake up with massive bedhead, especially one as oddly attractive as the tree of a man he'd been forced to share a room with. He listened to the water run tiredly from his spot facedown on the bed, having abandoned drying his hair out of sheer exhaustion. The blond could feel himself dozing off as his body relaxed into the soft bed, only registering the water shut off when he heard the bathroom door open. Turning his head towards the en suite, he peeked out from under his towel and felt his thoughts sputter to a halt at the sight of the taller man with only a towel around his waist. He could feel his brain misfire as Axel walked over to the chair he'd set his bag down, the scars on his back catching the blond's eye as he gazed at the pinker patches of skin along his back and arms. The redhead pulled his long damp hair up with a scrunchie to keep it out of the way as he pulled his towel off, throwing it over his shoulder before pulling on a pair of plain black boxers. As if he could feel Roxas' eyes on him, the other man glanced over his shoulder and winked at him. 

"Like what you see?" Axel asked teasingly, holding back a laugh when he saw the smaller man go back under his towel. 

Roxas could hear his roommate pull something else out of his bag before zipping it closed again, feeling the bed dip under his weight a few moments later. He felt the other man's hands on the towel as he started to dry his damp hair. 

"Don't sleep with your hair wet sweetheart, you'll catch a cold." the taller man whispered as he carefully dried Roxas' hair. 

"Thanks….." he mumbled tiredly as he relaxed under the hands of his classmate. 

"The name's Axel, Roxy, got it memorized?" Axel smiled as he finished drying the man's hair and tossed the towel over the back of one of the chairs to join his own. "Get some sleep." 

Roxas nodded tiredly as he gave in to his exhaustion, allowing himself to fall asleep as the other man laid down on the other side of the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Roxas felt an unfamiliar weight on his waist as he blinked tiredly, covering his face with his arm to try and block out the intruding sunlight. It was too bright, had his mother opened the curtains during the night again?   
  
"Close the curtains…." he mumbled in his half asleep daze, rolling over to face something warm.   
  
He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. Had Sora snuck into his bed in the middle of the night again? As Roxas moved closer to the warm body, he was even more confused by how unfamiliar the body was. It couldn't be Sora, the person was too tall, the chest was too broad, and the skin was too soft. Blinking slowly, Roxas opened his eyes and looked up at the person he was curled up against, freezing as the gears in his mind finally started turning and he remembered the events of the night before. Feeling the other man move, he was greeted with a smile as green eyes opened slowly.   
  
"Morning Roxy. Get cold last night?" Axel asked quietly, his voice husky from sleep as he brushed his classmate's bangs out from in front of his eyes.   
  
"M-morning Ax….." Roxas mumbled as he pushed away from the other man, his face burning up from embarrassment as he climbed out of bed.   
  
Axel sat up and stretched his arms over his head, his long red hair draped over his bare chest. The blond closed the curtains to help with the blindingly bright morning sun before digging through his bag for something clean to wear, settling on a cleaner looking pair of black skinny jeans and an Avenged Sevenfold shirt that was slightly too big for him, quickly changing with his back to the other man. He could feel green eyes watching him and bit his lower lip as he pulled the shirt over his head. Digging through his bag again, he pulled out a pair of socks and a hair brush, pulling the socks on before ripping the brush through his hair to clean it up before tossing his brush back in his bag before grabbing the travel size bottle of hair gel and styling it into his usual upward spikes, hearing rustling behind him as Axel must have gotten out of bed to start getting dressed himself. Roxas wiped his hands off with a wet wipe and threw it away in the small trash can by the side of his bed, pulling a small bag out of his luggage and setting it on the nightstand as he dug through one of the smaller pockets on his bag for the leather wrist wrap his twin had gotten him for his last birthday, closing up his bag after he found it. He picked up the small bag he'd pulled out of his luggage and walked to the bathroom, pulling on his wrist wrap on the opposite wrist his checkered one was on. Closing the door to the en suite, he set the bag on the counter, digging through it quietly. He carefully put his piercings back in, his eyes on his reflection as he put the backing on his helix ring before putting his snakebites back in. Roxas zipped his bag closed again before stepping out of the en suite and back into the room, moving aside so Axel could finish getting ready, a makeup bag in hand.   
  
"Wanna get some coffee?" the redhead asked, keeping the door open as he put on black eyeliner.   
  
"Coffee sounds great." Roxas replied as he put his things back in his bag and pulled his shoes on.   
  
Axel finished putting his makeup on, drawing two upside down tears with purple eyeliner under his eyes before tossing all his makeup back into his bag and leaving it on the bathroom counter. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with what looked like white paint flecked on it, a plain loose white shirt, a red flannel wrapped around his waist and a grey beanie that barely seemed to keep his red hair in check completing the redhead's outfit as he pulled his black boots back on.   
  
"You ready Rox?" the taller man asked as he put his phone and wallet in the pockets of his jeans.   
  
"As ready as I'll get." Roxas mumbled, shoving his phone and wallet in his pockets, remembering his key card last minute and putting it in his wallet tiredly. "Lead the way."   
  
Axel held the door open for his shorter roommate, waiting for him to step out of their shared room before allowing it to close and leading the way to the elevator. They both checked their phones as the elevator descended to the first floor, sending messages to their respective friends that they were getting coffee.   
  
"Any idea where the nearest coffee shop is?" Roxas asked as he pocketed his phone again.   
  
"I saw one a couple blocks from here while the bus was stuck in traffic." the taller man explained as he shoved his own phone in his pocket. "A couple of my friends might join us, they're kinda loud."   
  
Axel looked almost apologetic as he offered a smile to the blond, the look on his face making it clear that even though they were his friends, he wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with them before caffeine. Roxas shrugged as he stepped out of the elevator.   
  
"Its fine, mine are all still asleep." he explained, shoving his hands in his pocket as he walked.   
  
He followed the redhead out of the hotel, the two of them idly chatting about their classes as they walked down the road to the coffee shop Axel had spotted on their way to the hotel the night before. Roxas was surprised to find out the other man was studying to be an elementary school teacher. Something about the tattoos, piercings, and makeup didn't scream 'elementary music teacher'.  
  
"An art teacher, eh? You definitely look the part." Axel teased as he elbowed the smaller man's side.   
  
"You definitely don't." Roxas shot back with a grin.   
  
Axel held one hand over his heart dramatically, feigning a look of hurt. "You wound me Roxy."  
  
The blond rolled his eyes as he held back a laugh, stepping up to the coffee stand with his roommate before looking at the menu, one item catching his interest. "What's a "bull blaster"?"  
  
"Probably something to do with red bull." Axel replied nonchalantly, looking over the menu himself. "Wanna try one? I'll buy."   
  
"Sure, why not?" the shorter man shrugged as he walked up to the counter.   
  
Axel smiled as he ordered coffee for the two of them, glancing over to Roxas when the lady behind the counter asked what flavor bull blaster he wanted. Once they both had their caffeinated drinks, they made their way over to an outdoor sitting area and Axel pulled out a chair for the other student. Once his companion had sat down, he pulled up the chair next to him and sat down.  
  
"I didn't peg you to be the kind of guy who drinks a basic caramel frappuccino." Roxas noted as he pulled out his phone and checked to see if he had any texts from his friends.   
  
Axel shrugged before elbowing the other man in the ribs lightly. "I didn't peg you for the kind of guy who was into strawberry and pineapple."   
  
Roxas had to hold back an amused snort as he rolled his eyes and set his phone down on the table. He sipped his drink quietly while the redhead texted his friend to let them know where the two of them were. Leaning against the back of his chair, Roxas let out a hum as he watched the clouds pass by. He didn’t notice that he had zoned out until a loud man with a mix between a mohawk and a mullet got into his face and greeted him happily, another man behind him with blue grey hair that covered one side of his face almost completely.   
  
“Morning!” he greeted before backing up slightly, wrapping his arm around the shoulders of the man who had come with him.   
  
The shorter of the two men sat down across from Roxas and offered a smile to him. “Sorry about Demyx, he gets excited when he meets new people.”   
  
“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Demyx whined as he sat down next to the other man.   
  
“Did you take your meds this morning Dem?” Axel asked to distract his friend, not wanting him to get too upset.   
  
Demyx nodded as he took a sip from the smoothie he must have bought while Roxas was zoned out. The other man offered him a doughnut from a box of a dozen with a friendly smile.  
  
“Thank you…” Roxas mumbled, picking a plain glazed doughnut and eating it quietly.  
  
“I’m Ienzo and this is Demyx, my boyfriend.” Ienzo explained as he set the box on the table. “We’ve been friends with Axel since high school.”   
  
Roxas nodded as he took a sip of his drink as another couple walked over from the coffee stand, one of them a tan man with silver hair and the other a pale man with long blue hair and an x shaped scar on his face. The two of them pulled a couple of chairs over to the table they were at and joined the four of them.   
  
“Morning Saix, Xemnas!” Demyx greeted happily with his mouth full of doughnut.  
  
“Good morning Demyx.” the tan man greeted as he set his hot coffee down on the table in front of him.  
  
The blue haired man set a grocery bag down in front of himself on the table, digging out a hand of bananas and a bag of grapes. “You need to eat something healthy, you know what will happen otherwise.”   
  
“Still acting like my mother Saix?” Axel teased as he grabbed a banana.   
  
“Someone has to Axel, otherwise you’ll try to live off top ramen and doritos again.” Saix rolled his eyes before taking a sip from the other man’s coffee.   
  
“You must be Roxas.” the silver haired man smiled as he grabbed a grape. “I am Xemnas and this is my partner, Saix.”   
  
“Saix is my childhood friend.” Axel explained before taking a bite of his banana. “He met Xemnas when we were moving into the dorms.”   
  
“They’re roommates.” Demyx teased as he popped a grape into his mouth.   
  
Roxas nodded as he took a sip from his drink, finishing his doughnut before reaching for a banana. He listened to the five of them chat as he quietly ate fruit. He heard his phone vibrate and checked it quietly, sending his friends a text to let them know he was fine on his own so they wouldn’t freak out and go on a hunt for him. Feeling something bump against his leg, he looked over to see Axel’s leg pressed against his own and bit his lip to keep from saying anything about it, the owner of said appendage quickly withdrawing his leg one he noticed what he'd done, seeming almost flustered.   
  
"Axel, can we talk for a moment?" Saix asked after a while, pulling Roxas from his thoughts as both the blue haired and red haired men stood up and walked away to talk privately.   
  
The blond sunk into his chair slightly, sipping from his drink as he awkwardly tried to follow the conversation at the table. He wasn't used to being in groups like this anymore alone, even when he was with his friends they usually all avoided large groups when they were with him. Ever since he was a kid he'd avoided large groups of people and this was starting to be too many for his taste. As if noticing his discomfort, Ienzo offered him a reassuring smile.   
  
"Roxas, is this your first time meeting Axel?" he asked, trying to distract Roxas.  
  
"Huh? Yeah, we met last night." Roxas explained, fidgeting with the chain of his wallet.   
  
"Is that so? He seems quite taken with you."   
  
"Does he?" the smaller man mumbled, not really sure what to say.  
  
Ienzo nodded and smiled at Roxas reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm sure he won't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable."  
  
Roxas nodded as he took another sip from his drink quietly, letting the conversation drop as Demyx started complaining about his homework. If this was what being around Axel and his friends was gonna be like, he hoped the trip would be over soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit I hadn't even realized how long it's been since I updated, I really need to look at the date more often


	3. Chapter 3

Saix led his childhood friend away from the rest of the group, sitting on a concrete stair and looking up at the redhead. The way Axel had been looking at Roxas was all too familiar to him, he'd seen that look more than a few times and it had always ended badly for his best friend. After years of watching Axel get broken apart and helping him pick up the pieces, all he wanted was for his friend to finally have someone who wouldn't hurt him.  
  
"What's up Saix?" Axel asked as he sat down next to his childhood friend.  
  
The blue haired man gave his friend a stern look as he thought about how he was going to handle this situation. Deciding the best way was to be straightforward with him, Saix braced himself for if the other blew up.  
  
"Axel," he began, trying to stay calm. "What are your intentions with Roxas?"  
  
Axel held his hands up defensively as he was questioned by his friend. "Woah, hold your horses. Where's this coming from?"  
  
"You know exactly where this is coming from Axel, Roxas looks just like _him_."  
  
The redhead dropped his hands, his shoulders slumping as the memories of how his ex had left him surged forward, his whole body spamming as if he was about to throw up. "Roxas.....isn't like _him._"  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"I do!"  
  
"How Axel?" Saix had to hold back from yelling as he gripped his friend's shoulders. "You've known him for one night, how are you sure they're not the same?"  
  
"Fine, I don't know okay? I just can't go through life being as cynical as you are! Sure, they look similar, but have you actually taken a look at Roxas? _He_ was taller and if we had to share a bed he'd make me sleep on the floor. Roxas......I woke up with him curled up at my side. Sure, maybe at first I was caught off guard by how similar they look but that's it, it's over and done. Now I just wanna get to know Roxas alright? I know you're trying to protect me but stop it, I don't need you to hold my hand anymore!"  
  
Saix was taken aback by how Axel had responded but took a breath to calm himself down before saying anything else. "I trust you Axel and if you trust him then......I'll trust him as well."  
  
Axel slowly nodded, relaxing as his friend rubbed his back softly. "I just.......don't wanna keep living in the past..."  
  
"I know you don't. Come on, let's go back to the others


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas dropped his bag down next to the bed before pulling up a comfortable patch of floor, leaning against the wall as he dug out his homework from the bag he'd previously wished would disappear from his life completely. After spending an unseemly amount of money on tuition and textbooks, he had to try hard for his parents. They'd been kind enough to pay for all his expenses and he'd be damned if he made himself out to be an ungrateful brat. As much as he wanted to just say fuck it and ignore the existence of his homework while they were away for a while, he couldn't just do that. 

"Aren't you dedicated?" Axel teased as he set his bag down in one of the chairs, closing the room door behind him. "You should take a break." 

"After I finish this, just need to finish a couple chapters." Roxas mumbled as he worked through his English homework. 

The redhead shrugged before digging through one of his bags for something. Roxas could see him out of the corner of his eye as he worked on his homework and did his best to ignore it, putting in his headphones and hitting shuffle on Google play music to play a random song on his phone. He hummed along quietly while Axel did whatever he was doing, focusing on his homework that he needed to finish so that he could finally relax during the trip. Roxas could feel the caffeine wearing off and shook his head to clear it. He just needed to focus for a little longer and then he would be free. Just as he was settling down to finish the last bit of his homework, his music paused as his phone started ringing. Letting out a sigh, he turned his phone over to see his older brother's contact photo on the screen. Roxas pulled his headphones out and slid to answer the call, putting the phone up to his ear. 

"Hello?" 

_"Hey Roxy, how's your trip going?"_ Ven asked with his usual level of enthusiasm. 

"Its going fine, I'm just finishing my homework." Roxas explained, finally caving in as he closed his textbook and shoved his notebook into his backpack. 

_"Hayner told me you got a roommate you haven't met before, tell me about him." _

"His name's Axel and he-"

Ven cut him off suddenly, suddenly even more interested in the situation. _"Did you say Axel? Is his hair bright red? Not Kairi red but fire truck red?"_

Roxas was stunned by Ven's reaction. "Yeah, how'd you know?" 

The man on the other end let out a sigh, his tone becoming much more somber. _"Roxas, I'll tell you more when you get back but don't talk about Sora with him okay? I know you two are best friends and all but there's something that happened back when you were in therapy between the two of them, something that hurt Axel a lot alright? Make sure to do your homework and tell him I said hi okay? I'll see you when you get home."_

"Alright, see you when I get home."

_"Love you Rox."_

"Love you too Ven " 

Roxas set his phone on the floor beside him after hanging up, leaning back agaisnt the bed. What did Ven mean by that? What had happened between Sora and Axel? They were both so nice, what could have happened between them that was so dramatic? Deciding he'd worry about it when he got home, Roxas finished putting his stuff away before standing up to stretch. 

"All done for the night Roxy?" Axel asked as he stepped back into the room with a brown bag, closing the door behind him. 

"Yeah, my brother called and I'm too tired to focus on Professor Weiss' English homework anymore." Roxas explained as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What'd you go out and buy?" 

The redhead grinned as he locked the door to their hotel room before revealing the two bottles he had gone out to purchase, brandishing the bottle of Fireball and the bottle of tequila proudly. "You look like you need to relax and I wanna get to know you better." 

"So what," Roxas had to fight to hold back a laugh. "Shots and 20 questions?" 

Axel shrugged as he set the bottles down on the nightstand and sat down next to his roommate. "We could always play truth or shot instead." 

"What are the rules?" Roxas asked, taking the bottle of Fireball from his roommate and cracking it open. 

Axel grinned, cracking open the bottle of tequila. "I ask you a question, you either answer it or take a shot, then you ask me one." 

"Sounds fair." 

The redhead had a few choice questions to ask the other man, deciding to go easy to start with. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Two older brothers." Roxas explained, turning over the bottle in his hands. "What about you?"

"A sister and a brother." 

The two of them went back and forth about idle things like their friends and family for a while, each taking a couple shots as they badgered each other while trying to get to know each other. Roxas learned that Axel's favorite color was yellow, that he had a total of 7 tattoos, and had broken into his high school with his friend Xigbar to fill the principal's office with condoms blown up like balloons. In turn, Axel learned that Roxas' favorite color was red, he had 12 sets of piercings, and that he had a tattoo of the Roman numeral for 13 somewhere on his body. Deciding to kick it up a notch, the taller man dived into the raunchier questions. 

"Prince Albert or Jacob's ladder?" Axel asked on his turn. 

"Jacob's ladder." Roxas answered, the speed of his answer catching the other student off guard. "How long was your last relationship?" 

Axel took a drink from the bottle of Fireball, drinking what was the equivalent of a double shot before closing the bottle again. "What's the kinkiest thing you've done with someone you've only known for a day?"

Roxas took a drink from the bottle of tequila, the look on his face making Axel all the more curious. Did it have anything to do with how quickly he'd answered the previous question? The two of them continued their back and forth on the questions, both drinking more as time went on before they both agreed it was time to stop. It would be hard to explain to their friends the next day if they both had hangovers. 

"Vanitas, Xion, and Namine, fuck, marry, kill?" Axel asked calmly as he put the two bottles up in the closet they were provided. The look of horror on Roxas' face almost made the redhead laugh out loud as he closed the closet door. "What?"

"Namine's like my sister!"

"Alright, Kairi then."

"Kairi's _your_ sister!"

Axel couldn't hold himself back anymore, laughing as he sat down with Roxas again. "Come on, its not that bad."

"Fine, Denyx, Isa, and Xigbar, fuck, marry, kill?" Roxas asked to shift the attention off himself. 

"That's easy, fuck Xigbar, marry Isa, kill Demyx." 

Roxas flopped down on his side of the bed out of frustration, screaming into his pillow. "How did you answer that so quickly? You didn't even think about it!" 

Axel laughed as he laid down next to Roxas, playfully messing up his hair. "What's to think about? They're my friends, of course I have an answer." 

"I hate you so much."

"Love you too Roxy, get some sleep."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Plants for getting me to sit down finally write this and everyone in the VIII/XIII server for being such a positive and supportive group, y'all are the real MVPs here ♡

Roxas let out a pained groan as he woke up, pulling the blanket up over his head in an attempt to block out the sunlight. He felt warm hands rubbing his back softly in an attempt to soothe him, the owner having been able to see his discomfort. Roxas slowly relaxed against the other man's warm chest, his arms wrapping around Axel as he pressed his face against his warm bare chest comfortingly. The body heat and scent of cinnamon and ash that was just Axel soothing the throbbing in his skull as he pressed closer to his roommate. The redhead continued rubbing along his companion's back softly to allow Roxas to wake up as gently as possible. As Roxas' mind caught up to his body, he realized he was in bed curled up with a shirtless man he barely knew wearing only his boxers. A brief moment of panic was ignored in favor of enjoying the warmth radiating from his human hot water bottle. Roxas let out a quiet hum as Axel's hands massaged the knots out of his back, moving his hands lower as he worked out the tension in the blond's back. 

"I could get used to waking up like this." Axel whispered, the affection in his words assisting in melting Roxas' tired body into puddy under his hands. 

Roxas rubbed his cheek against the taller man's chest softly, the warm hands settling on his lower back while they both woke up slowly. Soft hands found their way up to tangled red hair, fingers running through the fiery mess to tame it. Time passed lazily as the two barely dressed men showered each other with gentle affection, the line between what was appropriate and what wasn't a blur through their final morning together during their school trip. Roxas normally wasn't one to cuddle but moving from where he currently was seemed impossible with how comfortable his companion was. They both knew they had to get up eventually but the motivation to didn't exist in their little bubble. After what felt like an eternity had passed by while simultaneously feeling as if no time had passed at all, Roxas' mind caught up to the fact he was wearing only his boxer shorts. Letting out a soft groan, he threw the blanket off himself before sitting up. His hair was a complete mess from rolling around in his sleep with more of it standing up than not. 

"Morning Roxy." Axel greeted with an affectionate smile. 

"Morning Ax." Roxas mumbled, climbing over the taller man to get to his bags and pull on a pair of pajama pants. 

Axel let out a quiet hum as he rolled over onto his side and watched his roommate, holding back a laugh as Roxas shot him a half hearted glare. Roxas dug through his bag for some aspirin, taking two pills without water to try and take the edge off his headache before climbing back into bed and laying down on Axel. The redhead let out a grunt as the other man's weight forced the air to evacuate his lungs. After catching his breath, Axel sat up with Roxas clinging to him. 

"We've gotta get up eventually." Axel mentioned while running his fingers through messy blond hair. 

"Can we wait until the tylenol kicks in?" Roxas asked, looking up at Axel with the same puppy dog eyes that made Ventus cave whenever he saw them. 

"Fine." the redhead conceded, unable to say no when Roxas was giving him such an adorable look. They'd only known each other for a couple of days and he was already wrapped around the younger man's finger. "We're getting breakfast afterwards though, no buts." 

Roxas nodded and nuzzled the taller man's shoulder softly, his eyes closing again to keep his headache from getting worse. Axel grabbed his phone, scrolling through Twitter while absentmindedly running his fingers through his companion's soft hair, occasionally showing him a cute cat video or a reposted Tik Tok video. The two of them lazed around on the bed together as the morning passed them by, finally getting out of bed in the early part of the afternoon as the call of their stomachs became too loud to ignore any longer. Roxas pulled on a pair of tastefully torn black skinny jeans and a loose red tank top before shoving his feet into his high tops. He glanced over while he was putting his earrings back in, watching as Axel pulled on a black Avenged Sevenfold shirt. 

"Ready already?" Axel asked, pulling a hairbrush from one of his bags and gently ripping it through his hair. 

Roxas nodded as he clasped his last earring, gratefully accepting the hair brush as it was offered to him. "I got used to getting dressed fast." 

"Throw your brush back in my bag when you're done, I've just gotta put on my eyeliner before we go out." Axel explained while walking towards the en suite with his makeup bag. "If you want, you can Google nearby places for us to go eat." 

Roxas tossed the hairbrush back in his roommate's bag before pulling on a checkered beanie before sitting down on the edge of the bed, scrolling through the nearby restaurant hits on Google maps for anything that caught his eye. 

"There's an iHop a couple blocks away we could go to." Roxas offered as he looked up at the bathroom door. 

"You sure you don't wanna go to Denny's instead?" Axel asked jokingly, able to see the eyeroll he was given from the mirror. 

"You don't _go _to Denny's, you _end up_ at Denny's." 

Axel set his eyeliner down as he tried to hold back his laughter. "What do you have against Denny's?"

The blond stood up and shoved his phone in his pocket before walking over to him. "I promise if your cousin suplexed you into a chair in a Denny's, you wouldn't trust them either." 

Axel burst out laughing, holding onto the counter with one hand and his stomach with the other. He leaned over to help with the stitch in his side as he tried to calm down. "I thought my brother and his friends were bad, that takes the cake though. Fine, we can go to iHop instead." 

Roxas let out a quiet huff as he hopped up onto the counter, watching his roommate finish getting ready quietly from his perch. Axel quietly hummed while finishing up his eyeliner before putting it back in the small black makeup bag he'd taken it from. He playfully squeezed the blond's thigh before stepping back out into the bedroom and tossing his makeup bag back into the bag he'd taken it from.

"You ready to go?" 

Roxas nodded, hopping off the counter before following his companion out of the room and downstairs to the lobby. Their bus wasn't scheduled to leave until 10:30 that night so they had plenty of time to pack their bags before joining everyone downstairs, plenty of time to go out and relax before the long trip back home. Axel led the way with the assistance of Google maps, the trip only taking the two of them 15 minutes. Breakfast was a calm affair with the two of them idly chatting about their course loads for the year. Roxas was surprised that they were both on the same year, having expected Axel to be much farther along than he was after having been out of school under special circumstances for a few years. 

"I worked for Walmart for a few years before starting college." Axel explained when he saw the confused look he was being given across the table. "Never work for them, it's not worth it. What about you?" 

"I......spent a few years in a hospital." Roxas explained vaguely, the look on his face making it obvious he wanted to change the subject. 

Axel took the hint and rolled with it. "So you said you had an older brother? What does he do?" 

"Two, Ventus and Prompto. Ven works at a preschool with special needs children and Prompto's a professional photographer." Roxas gave a relieved smile as the two of them started telling stories of growing up with siblings. 

The two of them finished their breakfast, playing a rousing game of roshambo to end their arguement as they both tried to foot the bill. After the third round where they didn't tie had completed, Roxas triumphantly paid for their breakfast. Axel gave his new friend a playful shove before leading the way to a nearby coffee stand where he happily paid for their drinks. The two of them continued to share stories of growing up with their siblings on their way back to their hotel room. They double checked their contact info in each other's phones on the elevator ride up to their room. They stepped into their hotel room and closed the door just in time for the Facebook messenger video call tone to sound from Roxas' phone. Pulling his phone from his pocket, the sight of Ven's name and profile picture didn't surprise him. 

"Speak of the devil......" he mumbled as he answered the video call. 

"Hey Roxas!" Ven greeted with his usual enthusiasm. 

"Hey Ven, what's up?" Roxas asked, toeing his shoes off before walking over to sit down on the edge of the bed. 

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." 

"Liar, you were hoping to see Axel." 

Ventus laughed and held his hands up, knowing he was caught. "You got me. Last time I saw him was a few years back while you were still away from home, I wanted to see how he's doing now." 

"Hey Ax, Ven wants to talk to you " Roxas explained as he turned up the volume on his phone and set it on the bedside table. 

Axel looked at the phone before sitting down next to his roommate. "Hey there, haven't seen you in a few years." 

""A few years"? Last time we talked, you were still in high school!" Ven teased, the screen shaking on his end as he sat down. "You look amazing compared to last time we talked, how are you holding up after all that?"

"It took me a while to find my self worth again after that, it took everyone to keep Isa from going out and kicking hunting Sora down. I get it though, I just......I just wish he'd talked to me about it all instead of ghosting me like that and showing up a few months later with someone else. We could've just talked it out and split up on good terms instead of just......."

"Axel, I get it." Ventus smiled sadly before playfully teasing both of the men on the other side of the screen. "I'm just glad to see you smiling again, you looked like a zombie back then. Between you and Roxas, I don't have to watch any walking dead movies for the rest of my life!"

"I wasn't that bad!" Roxas argued. 

"You were worse than Axel! Ritsu's calling, I've gotta go. See you when you get home!" 

"See you when I get home." Roxas mumbled before hanging up the call. 

The room grew silent as unasked questions settled between them. Axel rubbed the back of his neck, letting out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He steeled his nerves before deciding he wanted Roxas to know. 

"Sora's my ex, we started dating my freshman year of high school. I thought I was doing good and that he was happy with me. I found out later that a few months in his childhood friend confessed to him. All of a sudden Sora wasn't talking to me, he even went out of his way to avoid me when we were at school. I didn't know what I'd done to make him avoid me like that. We started dating in November and when January came around, I saw him with Riku. I almost dropped out of school but Isa convinced me to keep going." 

Roxas closed his eyes, bracing himself as Axel's words sunk into his mind. He knew his best friend had hurt someone while he was admitted but he hadn't realized it was something like this. It wasn't like Sora to do something like that and yet, he had. 

"I met Sora a few years before I was admitted, before I met Kadaj. When I was released he told me that he'd met someone before dating Riku that he did something he could never forgive himself for doing. He told me that I'd probably get along with them, guess he was right about that at least." Roxas mumbled, leaning against Axel to comfort not only his roommate, but also himself. "Axel, I wanna tell you what happened to me, especially since you shared with me. I just.......can't......"

"Don't push yourself Roxas, you can tell me when you're ready." Axel whispered, slowly pulling the smaller man onto his lap and holding him close. "Isa told me you look a lot like Sora when he saw you, I don't see it though. Your eyes are bluer, your hair is softer, everything about you is different." 

"If you get any sappier, you're gonna turn into a tree." Roxas teased, gripping the front of the redhead's shirt as he tried to hold back tears. "....I'm so sorry Axel......"

"Hey, it's not your fault Roxas." Axel replied, rocking back and forth soothingly in an attempt to help him calm down. After a few minutes, he started to sing quietly. 

_~"So just give it one more try, with a lullaby _ _and turn this up on the radio_   
_If you can hear me now, I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone_

_And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell_   
_'Cause I can't get you on the telephone_   
_So just close your eyes_   
_We'll honey here comes a lullaby _   
_Your very own lullaby"~ _

Roxas smiled softly as he hugged Axel tightly. "Nickleback?"

"Nickleback." 

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence, letting everything sink in and staying curled up together on the edge of the bed. Neither of them wanted to move first in case something changed between them. 

"So......" Axel started after a while, deciding to ask the question that he'd been wanting to since the night before. "Jacob's ladder?"

Roxas had to hold back his laughter as he rolled his eyes. "You've gotta take me to dinner before asking about my dick." 

"So you really have one then?" 

"Again, dinner before dick questions." 

Axel growled playfully before tickling Roxas' sides, savoring the sound of his laughter as they rolled around on the bed. The tickling evolved into a pillow fight, the two college students chasing each other around the room until they collapsed on the floor together, laughing and trying to catch their breath. 

"Come on, let's get packed and get something to eat." 

Roxas fake gasped and looked up at Axel with feigned surprise. "Why Axel, are you asking me out to dinner?" 

Axel rolled his eyes before mussing the blond's hair. "This doesn't count. When we get home, I'll ask you to dinner for real."

"I'll hold you to that." Roxas replied with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Lullaby by Nickleback 
> 
> You can scream at me about Kadaj all you want, I won't spoil it


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist posting this chapter here, its 813 words long. I'll make up for it being short by making the next chapter longer I promise

Axel ran his fingers through the soft hair of the man sitting next to him, watching as Roxas fought to stay awake. They'd spent dinner arguing about who's sibling had done something more ridiculous as a child, the redhead eventually winning with a story about his elder brother sneaking into an abandoned factory for a party with a couple of his friends and finding a homeless nudist man who swore he was the reborn Jesus. The mental trauma from witnessing the event was enough that when the police arrived they let the group of teenagers off easy by sending them home with a warning. When they'd gotten back to their hotel room for the final time, Roxas had started getting tired as the caffeine from earlier wore off. Axel had helped him carry his things down to the lobby, the two of them finding a nice corner where Roxas could try to relax. Both of their friend groups had come over to chat, gathering around their corner while they all waited for the charter bus. 

Saix kept a close eye on his friend, still distrustful of Roxas with how similar he looked to Sora. The way Axel looked at the blond though, it was obvious that his friend had made the distinction between the two men a long time ago. He sat down next to his friend quietly and offered a smile. 

"Sorry about yesterday, I know I made you mad." Saix whispered, not wanting to disturb the tired blond as he tried to sleep. 

"Its alright Isa, you're just trying to keep me from getting hurt like that again." Axel smiled at his friend and nudged him softly. "We've been friends since we were in diapers, you've been there for me through the worst and best of my life and helped me through so much. Thanks for always looking out for me." 

"You've been there for me too, if not for you convincing me to stay in school after my mom died I never would have met Xemnas." 

The redhead had to hold back a laugh at the memory of how Saix and Xemnas had met. "I don't think dumping a big ass container of red koolaid on Xemnas thinking he was Ansem counts as meeting." 

"He still hasn't forgiven us for that." Saix covered his mouth as he laughed. He noticed Xemnas glancing over at them and waved to let his boyfriend know everything was okay before leaning against the wall his best friend was sitting by. "Did you tell him?"

"Yeah."

"And?" 

Axel looked down at Roxas, seeing the way the other man clung to his shirt with one hand in his sleep like a lifeline. "He looked like he wanted to punch Sora when he found out." 

Saix nodded, seemingly appeased as he moved to stand up. "We'll get you and Roxas seats together on the bus, he doesn't look like he wants to let go of you right now." 

"Thanks Isa." 

Axel watched Saix walk back over to sit with Xemnas before looking down at Roxas again. The blond had fallen asleep holding onto him, clinging to his shirt as if his life depended on it. He gently ran his fingers through Roxas' hair, smiling as he watched his friend shift in his sleep to hug him. One of the teachers called out to let everyone know the bus was outside before stepping outside to keep track of everyone getting onto the bus. Axel gently shook his friend to wake him up and had to hold back a laugh as Roxas tiredly glared up at him. 

"Come on, time to get on the bus." Axel explained, carefully pulling away so he could stand up. 

The redhead gently coaxed his friend onto the bus, picking seats near the back for him and Roxas before leaving his companion to watch their seats while he went to get their bags. Glancing up at the window, Axel could see Roxas fighting to stay awake and couldn't help but smile up at his friend when he spotted him. The blond offered a tired wave before yawning, his whole body shaking from the effort of trying to stay awake. Axel packed his and Roxas' bags away under the bus along with their classmates' before hurrying back onto the bus, letting out a relieved sigh as he plopped down in his seat. Roxas let out another yawn before laying his head on his friend's shoulder tiredly. 

"Get some sleep Roxas." Axel whispered, pulling his phone out of his pocket carefully so he wouldn't disturb the man sitting next to him. 

Roxas nodded and closed his eyes, appreciating the warmth of the other man as he drifted off back to sleep. Saix sat down in front of Axel, offering his friend a blanket for the sleeping blond before leaving the redhead to read on his phone.


	7. Chapter 7

The sounds of college students chattering on the bus died down as a majority of the adults fell asleep. Axel scrolled through his phone quietly, listening to the soft snores of the man next to him contentedly while watching cat videos on Twitter. He felt Roxas shift every once in a while in his sleep and peeked over at him to make sure he was still comfortable, blond hair tickling his cheek as he spotted the peaceful look on his sleeping face. The redhead looked back at his phone, a smile on his face as he opened Discord and started chatting with his friends. 

_[Axel] Hey_  
_[Xigbar] Ayy, look who showed up! _  
_[Demyx] Hey Axel, how's Roxas? _  
_[Axel] Sleeping_

Axel carefully took a picture of him and Roxas before sending it to the group chat, being sure not to disturb his sleeping friend. He turned down his brightness as his friends started sending excited messages to the group chat. 

_[Marluxia] I'm impressed, most people run away from you for looking like a stop sign_   
_[Larxene] Don't squish him _   
_[Xigbar] We should be more worried about him squishing Axel _   
_[Xaldin] He seems pleasant compared to the last boy you brought back_   
_[Vanitas] I'm not that bad! _   
_[Xaldin] You bit me within minutes of us meeting _   
_[Vanitas] Yeah, yeah, laugh it up_   
_[Axel] I'm gonna get some sleep, don't harass Isa while I'm gone _   
_[Vanitas] No promises _

Axel carefully shoved his phone into his pocket, wrapping his arm around the man next to him as he adjusted in his seat. He felt Roxas nuzzle against his shoulder before relaxing again with a soft sigh. Green eyes closed as he allowed the soft hum of the bus lull him to sleep. 

The redhead awoke a few hours later to the bus pulling into a stop, the interior lights turning on to help guide the students off and into the warm night. Axel gently woke his friend up, guiding a groggy Roxas off the bus and along the flow of students as they wandered into the airport. The professors guided the students to the correct gate, letting them all relax while they waited for the call to board. Finding a nice wall to lean against, Axel sat down and pulled Roxas down with him, the blond falling asleep almost instantly against his friend as he sat down. Axel had to hold back a laugh at how quickly the blond fell asleep. 

"Still tired?" Ienzo asked while sitting down across from the other two men. 

"Yeah, I guess the trip took a lot out of him." Axel replied quietly, letting out a grunt as he felt Roxas punch his side. Guess he wasn't as asleep as they thought he was. 

"He's apparently got enough in him to still hit you." the grey haired man noted, accepting the water Demyx handed him as he sat down. 

Axel nodded and rubber his side softly before patting Roxas' head. "Apparently." 

The rest of Axel and Roxas' friends joined them against the wall, chatting idly while they waited for the call to board the plane. They took turns charging their phones with the two outlets, each of them letting their families know they were waiting to board before turning switching on airplane mode to save battery life. Demyx pulled his Cards Against Humanity box from his luggage and they all played as quietly as they could in an attempt to keep from disturbing Roxas. 

"Aww come on! How does Rando keep winning?" Hayner complained as he watched Xemnas add yet another black card to the pile set aside for the game's top deck playing NPC. 

"You'd win too if you played better cards." Roxas grumbled quietly, pulling the blanket around himself tighter as he adjusted to be more comfortable. 

Axel held back a laugh as he gently ran his fingers through soft blond hair, showing his cards to Roxas for his opinion on the next one to play. The gaggle of college students called it after two rounds, putting the game away just in time as their gate was called to board. Roxas allowed himself to be coaxed into a window seat, holding onto Axel's arm tightly to pull him along. The redhead couldn't help but smile as he sat down next to his friend, Roxas' head moving to rest on his shoulder as he tried to go back to sleep. Axel closed his eyes, his head hitting the headrest as he listened to everyone else boarding the plane. The college students all quieted down for the flight attendant's rundown before the quiet chatter picked back up. As the plane moved to take off, Axel could feel Roxas gripping his arm tightly with obvious nerves. The redhead softly ran his fingers along his friend's arm to help keep him calm as the plane took off, moving to tangle their fingers together as he held Roxas' hand comfortingly. 

"You alright?" Axel asked quietly. 

Roxas nodded and gave his friend's hand a squeeze. "Yeah, just don't like takeoff....." 

Axel's thumb ran comfortingly across the back of the smaller hand in his, feeling his companion relax as the plane leveled out. The two of them relaxed against each other as they fell asleep. 

Axel woke up a few hours later to Ienzo tapping his shoulder softly from the seat behind him. He carefully turned to look at his friend, making sure not to disturb Roxas as he did. 

"We'll be landing soon." Ienzo explained quietly. "Roxas might panic while we're landing." 

The redhead nodded and adjusted in his seat slightly before carefully threading his fingers with Roxas' again. He felt his friend give a tired squeeze to his hand as the plane started its descent, running his thumb along the back of Roxas' hand to keep him distracted until they felt the wheels hit the tarmac. The blond let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked up at Axel. 

"Guess we're home." Roxas mumbled, distracted by the thumb still softly running along the back of his clasped hand. 

"Guess we are." Axel replied casually with a soft squeeze to Roxas' hand. "Want me to let go now?"

Roxas shook his head dismissively and rested his head on the taller man's shoulder again. Axel let out a quiet chuckle and smiled down at his companion. 

"Sounds good to me." 


	8. Chapter 8

Roxas stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, listening to the ticking of the clock in the hallway as he tried to fall asleep. It had been two weeks since he'd arrived home after the class trip and he'd barely managed to sleep a full six hours. He was so exhausted his grades were starting to slip and he was having trouble keeping from worrying his friends and family. Rolling over onto his side, he let out a quiet sigh. His mind raced a mile a minute to nowhere in particular, too tired to think of anything specific and yet too wound up to sleep. Closing his eyes again, he tried once again to get the rest he so desperately needed, not noticing Ventus sneaking into his room and picking up his phone off his nightstand, quietly going down to the living room where his boyfriend was waiting on the couch. 

"He still awake?" Ritsu asked quietly. 

"Yeah, I'm starting to get worried." Ven whispered, sitting down and curling up against his partner's side with his younger brother's phone. "He's never had this much trouble sleeping before." 

"What are we gonna do? He hasn't been this bad since we got him back from Kadaj......do you think he'll have to go back to Aerith's?" 

"Not if I can help it. Aerith's sweet but we just got Roxas back after his zombie phase, I don't want him to go back to that." Ventus explained as he unlocked his brother's phone and began scrolling through his texts. 

"Are you calling Sora?" Ritsu asked, looking over his boyfriend's shoulder. 

"No, best we could hope for if I did would be if Riku picked up the phone and I don't know about you but I'd rather not have your brother pissed at me at 3am on a Saturday." 

"Fair point." the silver haired man looked over the contact names quietly. "We can't ask Hayner, Pence, and Olette, Seifer would find out and rat us out to Leon for not taking him straight to Aerith." 

"Namine's got Saturday school and Xion's not back for another week....." Ven stopped scrolling suddenly, quickly scrolling back to the most recent conversation before looking up at Ritsu. "He was sleeping fine on the trip, maybe we can ask Axel for help." 

Ritsu nodded and gently kissed Ven's cheek to calm him down. "Its worth a shot. Think he'll answer if you call?"

"Only one way to find out." Ventus replied. 

Taking a deep breath, he clicked call and put the phone on speaker so they could both hear the call. They listened to the dial tone with baited breath, relaxing visibly when a tired voice answered on the other end. 

_"Rox? What're you doin' up this early?"_

"Axel, its Ventus. Sorry to call you so early." 

_"Ven? 's something wrong with Roxas?"_ Panic was evident in Axel's tone as blankets shifted on the other end. He was probably sitting up. 

"When you two were sharing a room, did you have to do anything specific to get him to fall asleep?" Ritsu asked, quickly changing the topic. 

_"Is that...Riku?" _

Ritsu rolled his eyes, trying not to let out a frustrated huff at being mistaken for his brother. "Close but not quite." 

"Oh. Sorry Ritsu." 

"It's fine."

_"To answer your question though, no, I didn't. We'd just kinda lay down and he'd conk out after a couple minutes, the guy sleeps like a baby." _

Ventus picked at the skin on his lower lip nervously, moving his hand when he was given a warning look from his partner. "Roxas........hasn't slept much at all since you two got back."

_"......that explains a lot."_ Axel mumbled. 

"Axel, could you do us a favor and come over? Ritsu can pick you up if you don't feel comfortable driving." Ventus offered quickly, not wanting anyone to end up hurt. 

_"I'll ask Xigbar to drop me off at your place, he owes me for bailing him out after his public indecency charge." _

"I don't think I wanna know." Ritsu mumbled as he stood up and stretched. "Give him my phone number Ven, I'll grab some pillows from Prompto's room." 

Ven nodded before turning back to the phone in his hand. "I'll text you our address from my phone, okay Axel?" 

_"Sounds good. I'll text Xigbar and tell him to get off his ass for a few. See you in a bit." _

"See you soon." 

  
Axel ran a hand through his hair as he set his phone on the bed next to him, letting out a quiet sigh. Why wasn't Roxas telling his family anything? He climbed out of bed and dug through his dresser for a pair of shorts and a shirt, pulling them on before stepping out into the hallway. He walked out to the living room, pausing when he saw his brother's partner Rude look over from the couch, the man holding a finger up to his lips to signal for Axel to keep quiet. Nodding to the other man, Axel walked over quietly, holding back a laugh when he saw his older brother asleep on the couch with his head on Rude's lap. Reno was on his stomach, a mess of limbs and a half baked attempt at taking his shirt off, his hair knotted up in a way that made it obvious his brother had gotten sick again. 

"Heading out?" Rude asked quietly. 

Axel nodded. "Yeah, I'm heading over to a friend's place." 

"Give me a minute and I'll give you a ride." 

"You don't have to, I can call Xigbar." Axel explained, not wanting to risk waking Reno up. 

"Reno's fine, he'll be asleep for a few hours at least." Rude replied curtly, carefully moving out from the grip of his boyfriend. "I need out of the house for a little while." 

Axel let out a quiet sigh, knowing he had lost the arguement before it had even begun. "I'm gonna go get an overnight bag ready."

"I'll warm the car up." 

Axel quietly walked back to his room, packing some clothes in a knapsack he normally used when staying at Xigbar's house before pulling on a pair of socks and shoving his feet into a pair of old pair of tennis shoes, shoving his phone in his pocket, and quietly going outside with his overnight bag. He locked the front door on the way out, opening the passenger side door to climb into the car. 

"So where are we going?" Rude asked, waiting for his passenger to put his seat belt before pulling out of the driveway. 

Axel pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking at the address Ven had sent him, relaying it to Rude before plugging the address into Google maps just in case. The drive was quiet, with the occasional comment about where to turn until they stopped in front of a plain white house. 

"Need me to pick you up in the morning?" Rude asked as he shifted the car into park. 

"Nah, I'll have Ven take me home tomorrow. Thanks for the ride." Axel replied gratefully as he climbed out of the car, shoving his phone back into his pocket on his way up to the front door of the house. 

The redhead knocked on the door, waving goodbye to Rude as he drove off before patiently waiting for someone to answer the door. He heard footsteps on the other side of the door before the click as the lock was undone, the door opening to reveal a man with long silver hair and sea green eyes. 

"Come on in." Ritsu whispered, holding the door open for Axel. 

"Thanks. How's Roxas doing?" Axel asked as he stepped inside, toeing off his shoes in the entryway and leaving them by the front door. 

"He's still awake." Ritsu explained while he closed the door, re-locking it before leading the way upstairs quietly. 

Axel followed behind quietly, hearing Ven's voice talking quietly as they approached the room at the end of the hall. They stopped in front of the open door, watching as Ven rubbed his younger brother's back softly while reading Cinderella to him. Roxas was so lethargic it was almost like he wasn't even there anymore. Something about the look on his face broke Axel's heart in a way he didn't even know it could break. The redhead quietly knocked on the doorframe, offering a smile when he saw the relief wash over Ven at the sight of him in the doorway. 

"Sorry to interrupt story time but you and Ritsu should get some sleep. Don't worry about Roxas, I'll keep an eye on him." Axel explained from the doorway, not wanting to rush Ventus away from his younger brother. 

Ventus nodded and whispered something to Roxas before gently detangling himself from his younger brother, motioning the redhead over as he did. Axel set his bag on the floor by his friend's desk before walking over and sitting with Roxas, taking the spot on the bed where Ven had been moments before. Once he was sat down on the bed, he felt hands pull him down and fell over onto the pile of pillows that Roxas had collected, finding himself quickly cuddled as his friend laid his head on his chest. 

"You missed me that much?" Axel teased quietly as Ven and Ristu closed the bedroom door, listening as the two of them walked down the hall. 

Roxas let out a tired grumble as he nuzzled the taller man's chest. "Can't sleep.....keep thinking about him......"

Axel softly rubbed Roxas' back to help him relax. "I've got you, he can't hurt you."

"Sing me to sleep?" Roxas asked quietly, blue eyes meeting green pleadingly. 

"How can I say no to that face?" the redhead carefully adjusted both of them so they were laying down comfortably, pulling the blanket over the two of them and tucking Roxas' head under his chin as he sang softly. 

_We'll start a life of the plain and the simple_  
_Of great times with far better people_  
_And weekends with our friends_  
_Laughing 'bout the wine that stains their teeth_  
_We'll talk about how your parents separated and_  
_How you don't wanna make the same mistakes as them_  
_I'll say it's all about stickin' it out_  
_And trying to feel forever young_

_So here we go again_  
_Wishin' we could start again_

_Wendy run away with me_  
_I know I sound crazy_  
_Don't you see what you do to me?_  
_I want to be your lost boy_  
_Your last chance, a better reality_

_Wendy we can get away_  
_I promise if you're with me, say the word and we'll find a way_  
_I can be your lost boy, your last chance_  
_Your "everything better" plan_  
_Oh, somewhere in Neverland_

Axel could hear soft snoring and let out a quiet chuckle, running his fingers through soft blond hair before pressing a soft kiss to the top of Roxas' head. Everything felt right in that moment, with Roxas in his arms he could almost forget what had happened the last time he'd trusted someone with his heart. 

Almost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Somewhere in Neverland by All Time Low, it's the only song I could think of okay? Forgive me for the Nickleback a couple chapters ago


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had this typed up before my calendar reminded me I need to update today, who would've thought?
> 
> CW: blood, mentions of self harm

When Axel woke up a few hours later, it was to Roxas screaming. He sat up quickly, his heart racing as he held his friend close and rocked him gently with Roxas' hands gripping his shirt tightly, the screams shifting to broken sobs as they rocked back and forth together. 

"I've got you, I'm here." Axel whispered soothingly. "It's just a dream, it's not real." 

Roxas let out a quiet whimper as the last of his sobs died in his throat, burying his face in the taller man's shirt. He needed out of his room, out of this place, away from the memories of  _ him _ , away from everything that  _ he _ had touched. Trying to move away from Axel, Roxas felt a searing pain in his thigh and was quickly reminded of why he had worn sweat pants to bed. 

"Can I ask you something?" Roxas mumbled, letting his head rest against his friend's chest again with a quiet thunk. 

"Sure, ask away." Axel replied, smiling as he ran his fingers through familiar messy blond hair. 

Roxas seemed to sink into himself as he continued. "Promise not to get mad at me?" 

"I promise."

Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his arms around Axel's neck. "Can you help me to the bathroom? My leg.....it hurts too much….I can't walk......" 

"Alright, up we go!" Axel chuckled as his hands moved to hold onto the smaller man's backside, earning a quiet squeak as he stood up with Roxas clinging to him like a baby koala. 

Stepping out into the hall quietly, Axel let himself be guided to the correct door as they snuck past Ventus and Ritsu's bedroom, being extra careful not to wake them after the screaming episode. Roxas reached over to lock the door once it was closed before motioning for Axel to set him down on the counter. 

"Remember, you promised not to get mad." Roxas warned as he reached for the waistband of his sweatpants. He took a deep breath before pulling his pants off, letting them fall to the bathroom floor as he revealed the mess of bloody gauze taped haphazardly to his thigh. "I need help cleaning it up......" 

Axel had to hold back his panic as he looked at the blood soaked gauze. "Where's the first aid stuff?" 

"Top drawer." Roxas mumbled as he motioned to the set of drawers by the bathroom door. 

Nodding quietly, Axel opened the drawer in question and dug through it for the box of gauze pads and medical tape Roxas had used earlier, grabbing the box of alcohol wipes and an unopened pack of nitrile gloves as well. He looked over at his friend, raising an eyebrow in question at how well the drawer was stocked and letting out a sigh when he saw the blond look away in shame. From the look on his face, it was obvious that he'd been caught cutting before and at least one of his family members hadn't trusted him enough to believe he would stop. 

"Deep breath okay?" Axel whispered as he set the supplies on the counter next to the younger man. "It's gonna hurt for a minute when I take the gauze off." 

Roxas nodded and pulled the hem of his shirt up to his mouth, biting on it to muffle the noises he knew he was going to make once his friend started. Axel opened the pack of gloves, pulling them on and whispering apologies before quickly ripping the mess of gauze and medical tape off. A quiet whimper escaped Roxas as he reached up to grip Axel's arm tightly, his nails leaving indents in the other man's skin while the wounds on his leg slowly weaped blood. The redhead gently wiped the cuts with alcohol wipes to clean them, whispering soothing words of encouragement as he carefully dressed the cuts with gauze and taped it to his leg. Once he was done dressing the cuts on his friend's leg, he cleaned up the supplies and tossed the trash into the covered trash can before hugging Roxas tightly. The blond quietly sobbed into Axel's shirt, warm hands running along his back as he was rocked gently on the counter. 

"Wanna go back to bed?" Axel asked quietly once the sobs died down, keeping his friend close. 

"Please?" Roxas asked quietly, sniffling quietly as he continued to cling to the redhead. 

"Come on, let's put your pants back on." 

Roxas slowly pulled away wiping his eyes with the hem of his shirt before offering a small smile to the other man. Axel smiled back before helping his friend pull his sweat pants back on, carefully picking Roxas up again as he carried him back to his bedroom. Trying to lay Roxas on the bed, Axel had to hold back a laugh as he was tightly latched onto. 

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm just gonna lock the door." Axel explained as he gently dislodged the appendages wrapped around his waist and neck. 

Roxas let out a quiet grumble but let go of his friend, pulling the pillows into a more organized pile while Axel walked over to lock the bedroom door before walking back over to the bed. He watched as Axel walked back over to climb back into the bed and pulled him over to be cuddled with. 

"Come on, get some rest Roxy." Axel whispered, smiling as he softly rubbed his friend's back. 

"I can't......" Roxas mumbled tiredly with his face pressed into Axel's chest. 

The redhead thought for a minute before remembering that he'd grabbed the bag he normally took when he stayed over at Xigbar's house. "I might have something to help you sleep......how do you feel about weed?" 

"Never tried it." Roxas replied, letting out a quiet grumble when he felt his friend pulling away. 

"Hmm...hopefully it'll make you tired and take the edge off the pain." Axel replied, giving his friend's back a soft pat before climbing out of the bed. 

He walked over to where his bag was and dug through it for the saran wrapped brownie Xigbar had given him a few days ago that he hadn't gotten to yet. Letting out a quiet cheer, he walked back over to sit on the edge of the bed with the brownie in hand. 

"Come on, sit up for a minute." Axel whispered, coaxing the blond into sitting up. "This'll take a little bit to kick in but hopefully it'll help some." 

Roxas sat up with a yawn and leaned against the mound of pillows. He watched as Axel unwrapped the brownie and accepted the small piece that was offered to him, making a face at how insanely bitter the baked good was. Seeing the face his friend made, Axel had to hold back a laugh. 

"Bitter batch?" Axel asked quietly. 

Roxas nodded before letting out a quiet huff. "Xigbar can  _ almost _ make a brownie." 

"Almost." Axel agreed as he laid on his side with his head propped up on his hand facing the blond. "Wanna talk about what happened?"

"Not really......" Roxas replied with a shake of his head. "Hey Ax?"

"Yeah?" 

"Are you sure you meant it before? When you were flirting with me?" 

Axel could see how upset Roxas was and held him close as he answered honestly. "Yeah, I really meant it." 

Roxas was quiet for a minute, silently mulling over the information before laying back down and pulling the blankets back up over himself. "There's.....a folder on my computer called 'JENOVA', I want you to look at it when I'm asleep." 

"Are you sure you want me to?" Axel asked, wanting Roxas to be absolutely sure that he wanted this. 

"I want you to see it.....you told me about what hurt you the most, it's my turn to tell you what hurt me the most. Just please......please don't hate me afterwards." 

"I could never hate you." 

Roxas' face lit up with a soft smile as he visibly relaxed. Axel wasn't sure if it was the pot kicking in or just the relief of having finally gotten something off his chest that he needed to. Fingers ran through messy blond hair as their owner sang quietly to his friend. 

_ "I see my vision burn, I feel my memories fade with time _

_ But I'm too young to worry _

_ These streets we travel on _

_ Will undergo our same lost past _

_ I found you here, now please just stay for a while _

_ I can move on with you around _

_ I hand you my mortal life, but will it be forever? _

_ I'd do anything for a smile _

_ Holding you 'til our time is done _

_ We both know the day will come _

_ But I don't want to leave you." _

The soft singing had put Roxas to sleep and Axel couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he saw the peaceful look on his friend's face. He carefully untangled himself from the mess of blankets before quietly walking over to the computer. For a moment he was worried about his friend having not given him the password but a quick shake of the mouse made it clear that wasn't necessary once the desktop loaded up. He could see the folder in question and sat down in the computer chair, pulling on the headset once he noticed the video files in the folder. The files were all named by date and quietly opened the first one, a text file named with the oldest date, and settled in for what he knew was going to be a wild ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kadaj story is coming, we're finally there
> 
> Song featured: Seize the Day - Avenged Sevenfold


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up! This chapter is why I changed it from "no archive warnings apply" to "I don't know what all archive warnings I should use" but you finally get to hear about Kadaj so yay?
> 
> Special thanks to the ever wonderful Plants for letting me use Turkey ♥
> 
> Fun fact: in my original plans chapter 10 was going to be the end but it would've had such a half baked ending that I couldn't stand letting it end like a tv show cancelled mid-season. How much longer will this go on for? I'll let you know when I figure that out myself

Axel scrolled through document after document, feeling his stomach turn as he read through Roxas' journals of the events he'd gone through, the attached images and evidence of abuse making him feel sick. All the cuts, all the bruises, all the broken bones, they were too much. It was the final journal entry though and the attached news articles that made his blood truly run cold. The last one made it all the worse.

_The last day I was with Kadaj was worse than the rest but when it started, it seemed like it would be the best. It started with him helping me clean my cuts and breakfast in bed, whispers of affection and promises that this would all be over soon. He promised it would all change. That's one thing I can say about him, in all the years I knew him, he only broke one promise. _

_That night was our 5 year anniversary, it was right before my 18th birthday. We'd been planning to stay at his house in case he had another violent mood swing. We didn't want to risk him getting taken away by the police again. If I knew then what I know now, I would've gone home and stayed with Ven and Cloud instead. _

_He took care of me, wanting to apologize for hurting me so much the night before. Wanting to make up for hurting me. Wanting to make up for assaulting me. It was one of his days where he was really there, where he was really the Kadaj I knew, the Kadaj I loved. He helped me to the couch, made sure I didn't move around too much, cooked lunch and ordered dinner. He cleaned up the whole house while I just sat on the couch watching movies. When he was having a good day he was great, he was the greatest boyfriend I could've asked for and took good care of me. He took me back to his room when it was getting late, I thought everything was going great. _

_I was wrong, so very wrong. _

_He told me he needed to do something and went out to the kitchen. I was tired so I didn't question anything and just stayed in bed. I didn't even know I'd passed out until I woke up to the smell of something burning. I was so tired and sore, it was hard to move but I needed to get away. Kadaj ran into the bedroom and I could see from the look on his face that he felt guilty for something. He wrapped me in a blanket, carried me into the bathroom, closed the door, and we sat in the tub with the shower running. The whole time we waited to the fire department he was apologizing to me and in the moment I didn't know why. I was so tired and scared, I just wanted it to be over. When the fire department finally showed up and got us out, we both had to go to the E.R. for smoke inhalation and I had enough infected wounds that they kept me for a few days. When it was all over, I found out Kadaj had died in the hospital from how much smoke he had inhaled and burns he'd gotten getting to me. The police told me that he had started the fire and that he had attempted to kill me. I didn't know what to do, if anyone other than Prompto had picked me up from the hospital I probably would've never stopped crying. He took me to see Aerith and I just shut everyone out. _

_I didn't know what to do anymore. As I'm writing this, I still don't know what to do. His twisted sense of love and the promises he whispered to me in the dark still haunt me. I'm getting the marks on my back covered up soon, this is gonna be the last time I write one of these. Hopefully I never have to do something like this again._

Axel looked through the news articles and images attached to the final entry, not sure what he should do. Kadaj had abused Roxas for so long, how did he even make it through a day without thinking about all that? How had he managed to get to the point there where he was with Axel where the only thing that remained were nightmares? With all the pictures of cuts that would've left permanent scars he'd seen and, most disturbingly of all, the brand that had been placed on his lower back, he didn't have to imagine where Roxas' tattoos were anymore. He understood very clearly why Roxas wore the loose shirts he did. Closing everything he had opened on his friend's computer, he quietly walked over and climbed into bed with the blond. Axel held his friend close, wanting to comfort him but not knowing where he should even start, not sure what was too much. He doubted he could ever help Roxas forget what had happened, but more than anything he wanted to make him remember something that wouldn't hurt. They would make new memories, ones that didn't hurt when the two of them looked back on them. When he finally fell asleep, it was to thoughts of what he could do to cheer his friend up. 

Roxas grumbled quietly as he pressed closer to the warmth of his friend, relaxing as he breathed in the familiar scent of Axel's body wash. There was just something about the redhead that made him feel safe, something that quieted the part of his mind that had been on edge for years. 

"Morning." Axel mumbled against the mess of blond hair in his face. 

"Morning." Roxas greeted back as he stretched his legs under the cover of the blankets. 

The two of them tried to pretend they could fall asleep again until Roxas finally had to give in and climb out of bed. Axel looked at him confused as the blankets were pulled back, letting out a quiet grumble. 

"Gotta pee." Roxas explained as he tossed the blankets over his friend and wandered off to the bathroom in a half asleep daze. 

Axel watched his friend wander away before picking up his phone, looking something up quickly and saving the location in Google maps so he wouldn't get lost on the way. Turning off his phone screen, he climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. Roxas walked back in as he was pulling his jeans on, letting out a sound that made it clear his brain had just stopped for a moment before closing the door again. 

"Cat got your tongue?" Axel teased as he turned to look at his friend, zipping his fly as he did. 

"Just wasn't expecting to see a half naked man when I came back." Roxas grumbled quietly and started to dig through his dresser for something to wear. 

"You've seen more of me than this before." Axel chuckled and pulled on his shirt. "Hey, wanna go somewhere today?" 

"Where?" Roxas asked, confused by the sudden question. 

"You'll see when we get there." 

The blond couldn't help but roll his eyes at that response, pulling a shirt out of his dresser before closing the drawer and starting to change his clothes. Axel watched as his friend changed, taking in the sight of the tattoos on his back as his eyes were drawn to a large one. Where he'd seen on a picture the night before that a brand had been before there was now what looked like spilled paint with the Roman numeral for 13 over it and between his shoulder blades there was a strange x tattooed over where he knew there had to have been a gnarly scar. 

"That's right, don't I owe you a date?" Axel mumbled absentmindedly as his eyes traced the inked lines along his friend's back. 

"You really wanna talk about my dick, don't you?" Roxas teased as he turned around, the sight of three metal spots stopping the redhead in his tracks. 

Axel had thought he'd been fully prepared to see his friend shirtless but oh had he been so very wrong. Green eyes were glued to the piercings that he had been completely oblivious to the whole time he had been around Roxas, making the blond let out a laugh as he doubled over and held onto his dresser to keep himself up. 

"After everything else, my nipple piercings are what made you freeze?" Roxas managed to choke out between shuddering laughs. 

"How do you know I'm not staring at your bellybutton piercing?" Axel shot back as quickly as his malfunctioning brain would let him. 

"Easy, your eyes are up here." Roxas replied while motioning to his chest. 

"I can't help it!" Axel complained, sitting down on the edge of the bed while he pulled his socks on. "You told me how many piercings you have, not where they are!"

"You managed to get me to tell you where one of them was." Roxas shot back before wishing he could take back what he just said and quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, we should hurry up or Cloud's gonna run a background check on you before you even get breakfast." 

"What is he, your dad?" Axel asked while he thought about what he'd just been told. 

"No but he likes to think he is. He's my cousin, he took us in when my dad died." Roxas explained as he quickly finished getting dressed, shoving his phone, wallet, and keys into his pockets before he could forget them. "Come on, let's go get breakfast."

Axel shoved everything he needed into his pockets before following the blond downside to where Ritsu was reading the comics page of the paper with a bowl of cereal, clearly used to staying up late and waking up early if the lack of fatigue and nurse's scrubs were anything to go by. The two college students quickly made themselves bowls of cereal before sitting at the table to eat, both of them focusing on eating as they worked through their food. 

"Any plans for today?" Ritsu asked with a sip of his coffee. 

"Axel's taking me somewhere." Roxas replied when his mouth was empty. 

"Do you need any money or anything?" the silver haired man asked. 

Roxas shook his head quickly. "No, I'm still working through what you gave me last week." 

"Alright, just let me or Ven know if you need anything." Ritsu said with a smile before standing up to wash his dishes. 

Axel smiled over the top of his cereal, getting a kick to the shin from his friend in response. He had to hold back a laugh while he ate. The two of them ate quietly before taking their dishes over to the sink, washing their bowls and spoons together while they both held back from splashing each other. 

Axel dried his hands before messing up his friend's hair. "Come on, put your shoes on." 

"I'm going, I'm going." Roxas grumbled quietly, wandering over to the shoe tree by the front door where his beat up high tops were waiting. 

Axel walked back upstairs to the room, pulling his shoes on before checking his phone to make sure he knew where they were going. Nodding to himself, he shoved his phone back into his pocket before hurrying downstairs to meet back up with Roxas and start heading out. 

"So, are you gonna tell me where we're going?" Roxas asked as he followed along beside the redhead. 

"We're gonna go play with animals." Axel replied nonchalantly while he led the way. "Thought you'd enjoy getting to spend some time with cats and dogs."

"I could kiss you." Roxas couldn't help the bright smile that crossed his face as he hurried along behind his friend. 

Axel smiled and reached for the blond's hand, giving it a soft squeeze as the two of them hurried towards the animal shelter. Opening the front door, they were immediately greeted by the sight of Vanitas holding a large, less than thrilled cat that looked like it was ready to kill someone. Roxas stared at the cat in surprise as it meowed at him as if to tell him to go away while the man holding it placated it with soft scratches between its ears. 

"You two looking for something?" Vanitas asked calmly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his new pet's head. "Xemnas is in the back and Saix is putting some paperwork away." 

"We're here to look at the cats and dogs." Axel explained while coaxing Roxas farther into the building. 

"Head down that hall, Xemnas should be finishing up in this guy's room." Vanits explained before starting to head out. 

Axel led the way down the hall he'd been directed towards, seeing the familiar sight of his friend's boyfriend as Xemnas cleaned up one of the rooms. Roxas stopped suddenly in front of one of the small rooms, staring at a small cat in an orange sweater who was sunbathing by the window. Axel noticed the way his friend was staring at the cat and smiled as he caught Xemnas' attention. 

"Axel, Roxas, what brings you here?" Xemnas asked calmly as he walked over to them. 

"I wanted to cheer Roxas up." Axel explained quietly while the blond was distracted. "Think we can go in and see this little guy?" 

"Of course, he's a very loving sphinx." Xemnas replied while looking through his keyring. 

"What's his name?" Roxas asked while staring at the cat. 

"Fauntleroy. However, no one knows why his previous owner named him that." Xemnas explained, holding the door open for the two men. 

"I think I'll call him Turkey." Roxas mumbled as he walked over to the sphinx. 

"Turkey......a good name. Call me if you need any assistance." Xemnas stood off to the side and waited for both of his visitors to enter the room before closing the door behind them. 

Roxas sat down on the floor, cooing happily as the small cat rubbed himself against the man's side. Axel sat down with his friend and watched him play with the cat. The look on his friend's face made his day as the redhead watched the cat climb up into his lap. 

"I think he likes you." Axel noted absentmindedly. 

"I know I like him." Roxas mumbled, smiling and softly kissing the top of the sphinx's head. 

"Think your family would like him?" Axel asked, holding back a laugh when he saw the look of shock on Roxas' face. "What? Did you think I was seriously gonna bring you here and make you go home without him?" 

"Cloud's more of a dog person but I think I can convince him to let me keep this little guy." 

"If he doesn't, I'm sure my old man and Reno wouldn't mind if Turkey stayed at my house." Axel offered as he reached out to let the cat sniff his hand. 

Turkey let out a quiet meow and set a paw on Axel's hand, looking up at him to see if he could trust the man with strange red hair. Roxas gently picked the cat up, holding him gently and pressing another soft kiss to the top of his head. Turkey let out another meow and set a paw on Roxas' cheek as if to stop him before rubbing his face against the human's cheek. Axel took out his phone and took pictures while Roxas played with the happy sphinx cat. He took a short video of the two of them playing and sent it to Ventus before putting his phone back in his pocket. 

"Ready to take this little man home?" Axel asked as he stood up. 

Roxas nodded excitedly, tucking his new friend into his zip hoodie to keep him warm as they stepped outside and walked to the front desk. Turkey purred contentedly from his warm space in the blond's hoodie, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to be carried around like a smaller kitten than he was. Axel reached over and softly scritched between Turkey's ears as they approached where Saix was sitting at the front desk. 

"Axel." the blue haired man greeted, visibly surprised to see his friend at the shelter. 

"Hey Isa, we wanna adopt this little guy." Axel explained with one final boop to Turkey's nose. 

"The sphinx kitten? I'll get his paperwork ready, please prepare his adoption fee while I'm gone." Saix replied calmly as he walked into the office. 

Xemnas walked back out into the entry hall, helping explain what they would need to get for Turkey while Axel took notes. Roxas found himself on the receiving end of a bath as the kitten started to clean his face, being caught off guard by how coarse his little tongue was but letting him wash his face anyway. Axel took advantage of his friend's distraction to fill out all the paperwork and pay the adoption fee before Roxas could stop him. Once everything was finalized, he wrapped an arm around the blond's waist. 

"We're now the happy parents of a cat." Axel whispered teasingly. 

"We've gotta get him a litter box, a collar, toys, treats, food, and more sweaters." Roxas mumbled, smiling and softly petting his kitten. 

"I think Ven beat us to it." Axel explained, showing his phone to Roxas so his friend could read the text log between him and Ventus. "At least to the food, litter box, and stuff. He's excited to meet our new son." 

Roxas grinned up at his friend as Turkey fell asleep in his hoodie. "So he's our son now?"

"Yep, we've got joint custody of this little man." Axel replied calmly, playfully resting his head against Roxas' as they made their way back towards the blond's house. 

"You're a dork." Roxas let out a sigh and leaned against the redhead slightly. "But I guess you're my dork now."

"You sure you want me?" 

Roxas shot a glare up at the taller man. "If I wasn't sure if I wanted to date you, I wouldn't have told you to read that last night."

Axel nuzzled the top of his partner's head softly. "Then yeah, I'm your dork." 

Roxas let out a contented hum as he gently patted Turkey in his hoodie, letting himself be led back towards his house. "I'm glad Ven called you last night." 

"Me too." Axel whispered against the top of Roxas' head. "Wanna pick up a movie at the redbox and order something for lunch?"

"Sounds good to me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If an apology is what you're looking for after that, you won't find one here. Just know that things are gonna get wild from here and this is only the top of the first hill on the roller coaster

**Author's Note:**

> In theory this is only gonna be maybe 10 chapters? We see how bad my planning is though so we'll see when it's over


End file.
